The Sunday Junkie: July 28 edition

The mightiest of mice made a mighty impact on Saturday in the octagon, and again today with The Sunday Junkie.

The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com’s weekly reader-feedback feature, was dominated this week by submissions about Saturday’s UFC on FOX 8 card – in particular UFC flyweight champ “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson, who defended his title in dominant fashion against John Moraga, eventually forcing a fifth-round submission.

But this week’s winner, Freddy Chavez, of Devonshire, England, wanted to talk about another big winner on Saturday’s card, Melvin Guillard.

For his winning entry, Chavez wins a free one-year subscription to “Fighters Only” magazine, the world’s leading MMA and lifestyle magazine.

Want to submit to next week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie? Scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions.

Also, as a reminder, please be sure to include your hometown and stick within the 150-word limit (and include your submission in the body of an email, not in an attachment). Many quality submissions this week didn’t meet those minimum guidelines and couldn’t be considered for publication.

(Pictured: Melvin Guillard)

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MELVIN GUILLARD’S VICTORY CAN INSPIRE US ALL

Melvin truly did something inspiring. Coming into the fight Saturday, he was 2-4 in his last six bouts. Mac Danzig is known for his boxing and jiu-jitsu – the latter being a weakness in Melvin’s game. Unfortunately, there was more on his mind, far more important than any fight: the death of his grandmother and the scheduled brain surgery for his sister. It took some time for him to find his range, but when he did, “The Young Assassin” scored a knockout victory with a vicious display of hammerfists, earning the “Knockout of the Night” bonus award. Melvin Guillard is proof that grief or depression doesn’t have to stop you from living your life and succeeding. Melvin’s life is fighting, but since everyone is likely to lose a loved one, we can think of Melvin’s story when the time comes to grieve.

Freddy Chavez
Garden Grove, Calif.

JOHNSON HAS THE TOOLS TO BE CHAMP FOR YEARS TO COME

Last night, Demetrious Johnson defeated John Moraga in what can only be called a dominant performance. Johnson controlled the fight throughout all five rounds, and even finished Moraga late in the fifth round with a slick armbar submission. Johnson has won four of his five fights at flyweight (with the other one being a draw) and has a 3-0 record in flyweight title fights. In the foreseeable future, there doesn’t seem to be a clear contender knocking on the door at 125 pounds, and that fact may only make Johnson look like a more dominant champion. Hopefully the flyweight division will one day be more competitive at the top, but for now it seems like Johnson is here to stay as the UFC flyweight champion.

Alex Dieckmann
West Chicago, Ill.

CARMOUCHE, NOT TATE, DESERVES ROUSEY REMATCH

Last night, Liz Carmouche utterly dismantled Jessica Andrade. The last UFC on FOX event peaked at over 4 million viewers. This means not only has Carmouche competed in the two most important, most-watched women’s MMA fights in the UFC (and thus the sport), she also lasted longer than any opponent Rousey faced (by 22 seconds) and put Rousey in a dangerous position. Miesha Tate lost two of her last three fights and was rewarded with a coaching position on “TUF” and a rematch/title shot against Rousey. Cat Zingano’s injury, which forced her out of the Rousey fight, may be foreshadowing. Of the last eight “TUF” seasons, the coaches have only fought four times. This means there is just as much statistical chance Tate will fight Rousey as there is she won’t. If the Tate/Rousey rematch doesn’t come to fruition, Carmouche has earned a rematch if anyone has.

Christopher Juarez
Frederick, Md.

BORING VS. STRATEGIC

After another highly anticipated fight has passed, the finger pointing starts yet again about the “boring” fighters. MacDonald vs. Ellenberger was the most talked about fight before and after the card, but for two very different reasons. In the events leading up to the fight, there was much hype and trash talk from fighters and fans expecting a true barnburner, only to wind up as a one-sided jab fest. But was it truly boring, or can we all agree that sometimes smart strategy is more important than exciting fights? I know i wouldn’t want to train for months only to get too close and have my head taken off by another man’s fist. Let’s leave the “boring” talk behind and give these warriors the respect they deserve.

“The Hammer”
Ontario, Canada

DANA WHITE SHOULD STOP PUSHING FOR GSP VS. MACDONALD

In the post-fight scrum of last night’s UFC on FOX 8 event, Dana White bashed the conservative performance of co-main victor Rory MacDonald. He continued to state why MacDonald should be saying he wants to fight longtime divisional kingpin and training partner, Georges St-Pierre. Both MacDonald and St-Pierre have stated over and over that they will never fight each other. There seems to be no reason to believe either is lying, despite White’s constant statements to the contrary. Rather than just St-Pierre being disinterested in the possibility of the fight (i.e. the Anderson Silva fight), here both parties are disinterested, and it’s clear the two are much closer than Jon Jones and Rashad Evans once were. It begs the question of why he continues to push for the fight given the unlikelihood of it ever coming to fruition.

Ryan Woolley
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON: FLYWEIGHT’S VESSEL TO FAME

Two men entered the octagon for July 27’s FOX main event – one man relatively known, the other a mystery. If there was ever a platform and performance to silence the naysayers of the flyweight division, this was it. This was Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga. John Moraga brought in some of his own hype (proclaiming that he would make sure there was action in the fight), and hype from less wrestling-educated folks saying that he was a two-time Division-I NCAA wrestling All-American (completely false). D.J. has been put under scrutiny as to whether he is the man to put the 125 pound division on the map. With this dominant, finishing performance, Demetrious Johnson solidifies his place as the vessel of the flyweights.

Nick Beattie
Richmond, Ind.

LAWLER THE BEST STORY ON A NIGHT OF STORIES

The story of the night for me was Lawler! I’ve never seen him in as good of shape. He was fast, unpredictable and showed expertise in every facet of the game! The changes are obvious and he is focused on decimating the welterweights. MacDonald was No. 3 in the (UFC) rankings. With a piss-poor performance, he should still be No. 3 and need another victory for a title shot. Enough said! Johnson was brilliant and inexplicably up to this point I have found him boring! I needed to see a finish to see him as a worthy champ, and he delivered! Congrats! Herman and Smith should get double bonuses for shear guts! Height limits may be necessary as much as weight limits in the future as it is effecting the competitiveness of fights, a la Tim Means, MacDonald, and de Randamie. A 6-foot-2 fighter at 155 is ridiculous. It’s like a bear humping a bunny!

John “Vader” Williams
Modesto, Calif.

REHAB … NOW THAT’S BORING

Moraga made some disparaging remarks prior to his title shot about Johnson being “boring” when he fights. He certainly didn’t look bored, while aside from one distinctly good combo he was outstruck, outwrestled and finally submitted in brutal fashion. The rehab of the hyperextended elbow (if not broken arm) should be enough excitement for Moraga.

Aaron G.
Meridian, Idaho

FLYWEIGHTS NOT GETTING THE ATTENTION THEY NEED

After watching the fights, I thought to myself, “Well, that was a good card except for maybe a fight or two (cough) Rory vs. ‘Berger (cough).” But I cant help to wonder who I just watched face off against Mighty Mouse, Dont get me wrong i try my best too watch every fight on a card but sometimes i miss the prelims which as was pointed out countless times where Moraga was placed on his previous UFC cards. If the UFC wants to keep the flyweights around and i hope they do they need to start showing more flyweights on the FX prelims and the PPV. Think where the flyweights would be if they had gotten the early push into the spotlight like the females now making a home in the UFC.

Brenden Hutchens
Calgary

SOMETIMES A FINISH IS THERE, SOMETIMES IT ISN’T

In his post-fight interview, Demetrious Johnson stated that he would have been equally satisfied with a decision win as a submission victory over John Moraga. While this mindset may not be popular with all fans, this is incredibly intelligent and shows a great deal of fighting maturity. When fighters are pushing for a finish, it is usually in those moments that they are most vulnerable to be finished. But by waiting for an opportunity to arise, Johnson capitalized without endangering himself. Ellenberger vs. MacDonald may have not had a lot of action, but with Rory’s jab and Jake’s strong chin, neither fighter had a great window of opportunity to use. As fighters and coaches learn more about the sport, I think we will see more and more fighters become patient and look to exploit small holes in their opponents’ games over all-out attacks.

Ross “cbusmmafan” Miller
Columbus, Ohio

THE FLYWEIGHTS ARE HERE TO STAY

And your winner, and still the champion, Demetrious Johnson! The flyweight division is here, and not only is it here, the division is getting more serious by the minute. It’s safe to say the division competition is still growing to an elite level. Demetrious Johnson put on an outstanding performance Saturday night on his way to his submission victory over John Moraga. The finish in the fifth round proves the focus factor of the champ as he awaits a very important matchup in September. When Joseph Benavidez meets Jussier Formiga at UFC Fight Night 28, you can expect a very high-level, fast-paced matchup. The winner likely getting a title shot should just be the icing on the cake, but the talent level is evident. The flyweights have definitely come in with a storm and hopefully the title fight opened eyes for the division not everyone believed in.

Albert Cavallaro
Long Island, N.Y.

GOING FOR THE FINISH PAID OFF FOR JOHNSON

Last night’s main event was anything but boring, and nothing if not a clinic on how to constantly work for the finish. “Mighty Mouse” was dominant from the opening bell to the submission stoppage, barring a brief scare in the form of a vicious right hand from John Moraga. During the four and a half rounds this fight took place over, MM constantly went for takedowns and finishes despite being ahead on the judges’ scorecards. He was a perfect example to other fighters who tend to play it safe that you should never stop going for the finish, and it more than paid off for him. With only two title defenses under his belt, MM might be the next unstoppable champion in the UFC and with more victories like last night the next name to be mentioned in pound-for-pound talks.

When Robbie Lawler was first in the UFC, I thought he was and full of potential. Then something happened. Maybe it was Nick Diaz, or Lawler’s youth, or outside influences. I don’t know, but it seemed Lawler lost his drive. We then saw him fighting in shows such as Strikeforce, and it seemed he never took it seriously, as if he went in thinking he was going to go knock out his opponent, but if he didn’t, oh well. He didn’t even seem to care if he lost. Now he’s back in the UFC, and seems to be in prime form. He’s performing masterfully, and acts like he has a new drive. I believe this Robbie Lawler can make a run at the title. His next fight should be a top five guy, maybe Condit, and if he wins that he belongs in the title shot conversations.

Tim Breland
Selma, Ala.

A MIGHTY ATTACK

The mix of speed, stamina and technique were promoted as Demetrius Johnson’s main attributes Saturday night in Seattle, and he made all the analysts look golden with a textbook display of all three in his win over John Moraga. Minus a nice right hand in the fourth, Moraga had no answer for repeated takedowns and submission attempts and eventually succumbed to a beautiful armbar in the fifth. For the 125-pound division, the answer to the “Mighty Mouse” riddle is a difficult one to come to. And from the display we saw Saturday night, the answer isn’t coming anytime soon. “Mighty Mouse” is going to dominate this division for a long time.

Jacob Yarnold
Wellington, Fla.

DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON HAS LONG WAY TO GO TO BE UNDISPUTED

Demetrious Johnson to me, still cannot be respected as the undisputed UFC flyweight champion of the world. He may lack that killer instinct to you, and yet he lacks it to me also. Four boring rounds of being dominated is not entertaining to “us.” DJ, as called by our UFC analyst, is the Ultimate Fighting Canonist. DJ is in need of defeating the latest top 10 ranking of INTERNATIONAL opponents in order to become legit. No hating involved, simply “MMA mathematics” and common sense to get the UFC flyweight division in order. Side note: There’s always the Joseph Benavidez rematch!

Bellator has just announced a boxing bout between QuintonJackson and Roy Jones Jr. We have seen an MMA bout between Randy Couture and James Toney. Heading into that bout, James Toney only had about six months of grappling experience and was the heavy underdog (+350). Toney was going to have to be lucky and catch Couture with a KO punch. As most predicted, Couture got the takedown and submitted Toney in the first round. The Rampage vs. Roy Jones fight is different because it will be a very competitive fight. Rampage has 15 years of boxing experience and a good chin. Roy Jones will be nearly 45 years old, but out to prove he has still got it. This should be an entertaining fight that will interest all fight fans and may answer some unknowns.

Daniel Attard
Melbourne, Australia

CHAEL DESERVES RESPECT FOR KEEPING COMPETITIVE FIRE BURNING

I really have to give Chael Sonnen some respect. These guys that land a sweet TV gig, Kenny Florian and Brian Stann in particular, have ended up retiring. MMA is a dangerous sport. I couldn’t imagine what it takes to get up for a fight. It’s easy for us as fans to brush Chael off as just a s–t talker, but the fact of the matter is he’s been fighting top five guys his last few fights and the fact that he signed that new contract shows that he’s a true competitor. It would be easy for him to retire right now. I’m sure he’d make a ton of money doing his TV gigs, and could look back at his run and be happy with it. I’m not even a big Chael fan, but I like to see when guys are doing things because of the love.

I have to ask myself just what Bellator is doing. They had in Paul Daley a world-class top 10 welterweight and one of the most exciting fighters in MMA today. Bellator has made the bizarre decision to let him go. Daley would have cleaned up at Bellator. Come on Dana, swallow your pride and re-sign him to the UFC – there are some great fights in there. He no longer has any trouble making 170 pounds and would add some much-needed U.K. class to the UFC roster.

Dale Longdon
Nottingham, England

SONNEN’S CHANGES UNQUESTIONABLY FOR THE BEST

It seems that THE gym to be in these days is Reign MMA, which is now home to many of the sport’s top fighters and hosts many more on their way to upcoming fights. Chael Sonnen can now be added to that list of fighters setting up camp under Munoz’s direction. The only question I have about this decision is, since Chael is already such a strong wrestler, might it be in his best interest to spend time in a camp known more for its striking? What cannot be argued is Sonnen’s decision to move back down to middleweight after his fight with Shogun. He himself said Jones was a much bigger man than he expected and we’ve seen Sonnen have great success at middleweight. Time will tell if the new contract and new surroundings also result in a new outcome for “The Bad Guy” – namely12 pounds of gold.

Joshua Garriott
Westerville, Ohio

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